Behold… Bread Bowls

by Michael Vyskocil, photography by Nikola Tzenov

Colorful autumnal foliage and crisp, cool temperatures call for comfort food in a bowl — a bread bowl. Whether you’re preparing breakfast, snacks or dinner, bread bowls are excellent stand-ins for edible, creative serving containers. Use the following recipes to elevate your bread bowls beyond soups and stews this season.

Baked Ricotta and Spinach in a Bread Bowl

The classic spinach dip gets an upgrade with ricotta and a warm bread bowl serving container. You can serve this spread on top of toasted bread or crackers, or serve as a side dish.

Makes 8 to 10 servings.

• 2 cups whole-milk ricotta
• ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 cups sautéed or steamed spinach, coarsely chopped and drained of excess liquid (from 1 pound of spinach)
• Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 5- to 6-inch sourdough bread boule, for serving

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Combine ricotta, spinach, Dijon mustard and nutmeg in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Spoon ricotta mixture into a shallow ovenproof dish. Bake until the top is light golden brown, about 12 to 14 minutes.
3. Cut a fourth off the top of the bread round. Hollow out center of bread, leaving a ½-inch-thick shell. Reserve interior of the bread for another use.
4. Place bread bowl on an ungreased baking sheet. Transfer to oven and heat until the bread bowl is warm, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove ricotta mixture and bread bowl from oven. Spoon ricotta mixture into the bread bowl and serve immediately.

Pizza in a Bread Bowl

You can use any combination of ingredients to create your own personalized pizza in a bread bowl.

Makes 1 serving.

• 1 5- to 6-inch sourdough bread boule, for serving
• ½ red or white onion, thinly sliced
• 1 cup homemade or store-bought tomato sauce
• 1 green or red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 8 ounces (about 1 cup) fresh mozzarella
• 6 ounces (about ¾ cup) thinly sliced pepperoni

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

2. Slice off the top of a sourdough boule; reserve the top. Remove the interior of the boule, leaving about a ½-inch-thick shell. Spread about ⅓ cup sauce on the bottom of the boule, then add alternating layers of more sauce, mozzarella, onion and pepper slices, and pepperoni to the inside of the boule.

3. Return the top of the boule to the bread bowl base. Wrap the bread bowl in one layer of parchment paper; add one layer of aluminum foil over parchment. Place wrapped boule on baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, or until the pizza mixture inside is hot and bubbling. Cool for 10 minutes. Remove top of boule and serve immediately.

Breakfast Eggs in a Bread Bowl

A hearty-crusted roll makes the perfect base for this quick-cook breakfast eggs dish.

Makes 4 servings.

• 1/2 cup chopped Canadian bacon
• 4 large eggs
• 4 crusty hard rolls (about 4 inches wide)
• Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh scallions
• 1/4 cup grated fontina or Gruyere cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a small skillet, cook Canadian bacon over medium heat until browned, stirring occasionally. Remove from the skillet with a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels.

2. Cut a thin slice off the top of each roll. Carefully hollow out bottom of roll, leaving a 1/2-inch-thick shell (reserve interior of rolls for another use). Place shells on an ungreased baking sheet.

3. Add scallions and Canadian bacon to bread shells. Carefully break an egg into each shell; season eggs to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until egg whites are completely set and yolks begin to thicken but are not hard. Transfer baked eggs to plates and serve immediately.

Where to Find Bread Bowls in Carroll County

MJ’s Café and Baking Company
2965 Manchester Rd., Manchester
410-239-8882  •  Facebook.com/MJsCafeBakery
Sourdough bread bowls only;
$5 per bowl (minimum of six bowls);
24-hour notice for bread bowl orders required.

Serenity Sourdough, Maryanne Creighton
serenitysourdough@gmail.com
Sourdough bread bowls (350 grams) available plain or whole wheat. $5 per plain bowl and $7.50 per whole-wheat bowl. Sourdough bread bowls (175 grams) available plain or whole wheat. 4 for $10 (plain) and 4 for $15 (whole wheat).
48-hour notice required for small orders and 72-hour notice for large orders.